D defs.my
Entry 1 sense Webster, 1913

Compasses

· Com·pass·es · IPA
01 n. An instrument for describing circles, measuring figures, etc., consisting of two, or (rarely) more, pointed branches, or legs, usually join…
  1. 1.
    An instrument for describing circles, measuring figures, etc., consisting of two, or (rarely) more, pointed branches, or legs, usually joined at the top by a rivet on which they move.
Phrases & compounds
Bow compasses — See Bow-compass.
Caliber compasses — See Calipers.
Proportional, Triangular, etc., compasses — See under Proportional, Triangular, etc.